Lumber-loading apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (No Model.)

I H. G. WADLEY. LUMBER LOADING APPARATU8.

No. 561,631. PatentedJune 9, 1896.

NiTEID STATES PATENT tron,

HUN G. \VADLEY, OF WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

LUMBER-LOADING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,631, dated June 9,1896.

Application filed November 6, 1895. Serial llox 568,037. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUN G. ADLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at \Vilmington, in the county of New Hanover and State of NorthCarolina, have invented a new and useful Lumber-Loading Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to an apparatus for receiving and transportinglumber to a kiln or drier after leaving the mill; and it has for itsobject to simplify and improve the constructionshown in my formerpatent, No. 506,286, granted October 10,1893, by providing means whichmay be operated with facility for transferring the load from theinclined position in which it is formed to the upright position which it,occupies while supported upon a truck, said means being such as toenable the transfer to the truck to be made without loss of time,

The essential feature of my invention resides in the use of a cradlewhich performs the additional function of a rest or former upon whichthe lumber is packed or piled, and by which, after the members of thepile have been bound together to prevent displacement, the load istransferred to the trucks, and the construction of this cradle is suchas to maintain its bearing-point or point of contact with a suitablesupport in the vertical plane of the center of gravity of the load inall positions, whereby the effort necessary to move the era dle with itsload from one position to another does not involve moving the loadagainst the force of gravity.

Further obj cots and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description,and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a loading apparatusconstructed in accordance with my invention, the parts being shown inthe positions which they occupy during the loading of the cradle. Fig. 2is a side view showing the parts in the positions which they occupy whenthe load is upright and prior to the lowering thereof to transfer theweight to the truck. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of thecradle. Fig. l is detail view in perspective of one of thespaclug-strips.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a track to convey trucks 2 to a drying-kiln, (notshow-'11,) the rails comprising said track being supported by suitabletrestle-work The truck is provided with supporting-wheels l of anysuitable construction designed to traverse the track-rails.

Arranged, preferably, between the extremities of the track-rails is avertically-movable support 5, which, in the construction illustrated, isprovided with longitudinal supporting beams or rests G, which arepivotally supported at one end, as by means of posts 7, and are adjustably supported at the other end for vertical movement controlled byadjusting devices 8. In the construction illustrated these adjustingdevices consist of jacks hav ing operating-handles 9 and provided withplungers' 10.

The means which I employ for supporting the lumber preparatory totransferring it to the truck consist of a cradle 11, having parallelside rockers 12, which rest upon the beams 6 of the supporting-frame andare connected by transverse tie-rods 1 These rockers have segmentally orcircumferentially curved outer edges 14 and perpendicularlydisposedinner edges 15, whereby when the cradle is in the position shown in Fig.1, otherwise known as the loading position, the perpendicularly-disposededges 15 are arranged at an inclin ation to a horizontal plane, and whenthe cradle is in the position shown in Fig. 2, preparatory to depositingthe weight upon the truck, said edges 15 are, respectively, vertical andhorizontal, whereby the horizontal edge is approximately parallel withthe track, and'hence with the truck which traverses the track. In theconstruction illustrated these rockers consist of metal plates bolted orriveted together at their contiguous extremities, and the combined outeredges thereof form a segment of a circle described on a center betweenthe sides of the angle formed by the inner edges of the rocker, and asthe center of a homogeneous body or pile corresponds with the center ofgravity thereof, and as the bearing-point of the rocker is always in thevertical plane of the center from which the curve of the rocker isdescribed, it is obvious that the bearing-points of the cradle upon thesupports or rests 6 will be in the vertical plane of the center ofgravity of the load.

To load the cradle when in the position shown in Fig. 1, the boards orplanks are arranged in tiers or layers parallel with the tie-rods bywhich the rockers are connected, and between each two contiguous layersof the boards or planks or other members comprising the load aredisposed the transverse spacing-bars 16. Hence when the cradle isarranged in the vertical position shown in Fig. 2 these spacing-bars orstrips are arranged in vertical planes between the parallel verticalplanes of the layers of boards or planks, and in order to prevent thebars or strips from dropping out or becoming displaced either during theloading of the ap paratus or subsequently, when by reason of drying themembers of the load are caused to shrink, I preferably provide thestrips at their upper extremities with shoulders or stops 17, adapted torest upon the upper edges of the uppermost boards or planks of theseveral layers or tiers.

\Vhen the cradle has been completely loaded and while it is still in theinclined position shown in Fig. 1, I apply to the projecting extremitiesof the boards or planks the rectangular clamps 18, to thus bind themembers of the load and form a compact bundle. These clamps are ofintegral construction and are slipped upon the extremities of themembers of the load parallel with the rockers until their inwardmovement is limited by contact with the projecting extremities of thestrips or bars 16. Thus the projecting extremities of said strips orbars form stops which serve to hold the rectangular clamps in operativeposition.

After the load has been formed in the manner above indicated the cradleis rocked forward until one of the edges forming the angle between thearms 12 and 12 of the rockers is approximately in a horizontal plane orparallel with the track, as clearly shown in Fig.2, after which, bymeans of the adjusting devices 8, the support 5 is lowered until thetruck-wheels coming in contact with the tracks the load is shifted fromthe rockers to the truck.

After the loaded truck has proceeded along the track toward the kiln thecradle, with an empty truck, may be again elevated to the position shownin Fig. 2 and rocked, as before, to the inclined or loading positionindicated in Fig. 1.

By reason of the balancing of the cradle or loading-frame in the mannerabove described it may be moved from one position to the other withoutthe use of mechanical devices, and hence the operation of the apparatusis materially facilitated and the transfer of a load from the cradle orloading-frame to the truck may be accomplished without loss of time.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a lumber-loadingapparatus, a cradle having a curved bearing-surface mounted upon asupport whereby the bearing-point shifts to remain in all posit-ions ofthe cradle under the center of gravity of the load, substantially asspecified.

2. In a lumber-loading apparatus, a cradle having a segmentally-curvedouter face to traverse a support, and an angular inner face to receive aload of lumber, said inner surface serving as a former to hold themembers of the load in position previous to binding, substantially asspecified.

3. In a lumber-loading apparatus, a cradle having rockers provided withsegmental outer and angular inner edges, said rockers being connected bytie-rods, and being adapted to traverse approximately horizontalsupports or rests, the curve of the rockers being con centric with thecenter of gravity of a homogeneous load supported by the cradle,substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a cradle and former adapted to receive a load oflumber, of rectangular clamps having rigid or inflexible angles fittedupon the extremities of the members of the load supported by the cradle,substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a cradle and former, adapted to receive a loadof lumber, of spacing strips or bars interposed transversely betweencontiguous layers or tiers of members comprising the load and projectingat their extremities beyond the edges of the layers or tiers, and clampscorresponding in shape with the cross-section of the load fitted uponthe extremities of the said members in contact with the projectingextremities of the strips or bars, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with a cradle and former adapted to receive a load oflumber, of spacing strips or bars interposed transversely between thelayers or tiers of members comprising the load and provided with lateralshoulders to engage the exposed edges of the uppermost members, wherebysaid bars are held from displacement, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a track and a truck for traversing the same, ofa vertically-movable support, a cradle mounted upon the support andadapted to receive a load of lumber and carry it over the track, andmeans for adjusting the support to enable the cradle to be lowered totransfer the weight of the load to the truck, substantially asspecified.

I 8. The combination with a stationary track anda truck traversing thesame, of a vertically-movable support, a cradle mounted upon the supportand adapted to carry said truck, the cradle having rockers provided withsegmentallycurved outer edges and upright In testimony that I claim theforegoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in IO thepresence of two Witnesses.

H. G. WVADLEY.

lVitnesses JOHN H. SIGGERS, DAISY TAYLOR.

